A Noble Cause
by Docson810
Summary: Spartan-IIIs B312, B318, B332, and A117 have just arrived on planet Reach, the heart of the UNSC's naval might, to join up with Spartan Team NOBLE after the death of a NOBLE squad member - just in-time for the Fall of Reach. These four Spartans will insure the survival of humanity through failure, tragedy, and death, before they themselves fall. Will Reach survive? AU
1. Chapter 1: The Arrival

**Hey, FanFic readers. Just to re-clarify, this is a story following Noble Team during Halo Reach's version of the fall of Reach. This is an AU, and I will write an alternate ending alongside the original after the conclusion chapter for those of you who wanted a different ending. That being said, as we get closer to the ending, I will be asking you guys what you guys want me to do for the ending. Each mission will be separated into 2-3 chapters, depending on the length of the mission and what I'm in the mood for. I will try to release a chapter every week or two. One last thing; this is my first FanFiction story, so take it with a grain of salt, and of course leave any comments on what I'm doing well and what I could improve upon. But, anyways guys, enjoy the story!**

An M12 Warthog is driving down a deserted dirt road in the middle of nowhere, trailed closely by 2 Falcon airborne transports. 5 people; a Marine foot soldier and 4 fully armored Spartan-IIIs, occupy the vehicle. A building is visible in the distance, surrounded by UNSC personnel and vehicles.

"Six, you almost done admiring yourself in that mirror you call a visor?" one Spartan said. "Yeah, Eight," said the Spartan occupying the passenger's cabin seat, "I'm almost done. I just can't believe I'm actual wearing the armor that _they_ wear. It's amazing." The Spartan put on his helmet after looking at the visor for one last moment. The Spartan's left shoulder plate carried a symbol with the appearance of two sword-like lines crossing each other near the bottom with a small semi-triangle above the cross, all inside of another triangle. Just beneath the symbol was a large 6. All 3 of the other Spartans had the same symbol, each with a different consecutive number: 7, 8, and 9 were the numbers.

"Spartans, we're almost at the base. ETA, 5 minutes," stated the Marine. True to his word, the base was approaching rapidly. "Nine, you set?" the Spartan called Six asked. "Yeah, almost set. I'm just as astounded as Six," said the Spartan called Nine. "I mean, seriously, we're wearing _Spartan armor_! It's a massive upgrade to that Powered Infiltration Armor." "Yeah, but it's a hell of a lot heavier. I mean, seriously. This thing weighs like 500 pounds. And I thought I was heavy," stated another Spartan. His shoulder number read 8. The Falcons sped ahead and touched down just outside the main structure just as the Warthog pulled up. The Spartans stepped out of the transport and walked towards the main building, passing by a landed Falcon. Another Spartan with green Scout armor, a camouflage sash and 3 bullets on each pauldron on his armor. At the moment he seemed to be counting his bullets. As the other Spartans passed, he eyed them closely. _"Hmm. More Spartans. Maybe our new recruits?"_ he thought to himself.

Six, Seven, Eight and Nine, as they were called after meeting each other, could hear a conversation. "…I responded with trooper fire teams, which have since been declared MIA." "And now you're sending us?" a voice said. "ONI believes the deployment of a Spartan team is a gross misallocation of valuable resources. I disagree." As Six walks in after glancing at another Spartan sharpening what appeared to be a large kukri knife on a shoulder pauldron, but is stopped by a prosthetic arm, as well as Seven, Eight and Nine. "Commander," a female voice called. The owner of the arm appeared to be another Spartan. "So that's our new Number Six, and his friends, too," said a large Spartan-II sitting near the wall as he and who looked to be the commander turned to face the group. "Kat, you read their files?" asked the kukri-wielding Spartan in the corner. "Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink," responded the Spartan named Kat. "Anyone claim responsibility, sir?" asked the commander, ignoring the 4 new arrivals. "ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Took out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, Noble One," stated the on-screen officer. "Sir, consider it done," said the commander. "Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." Noble 1 grabbed his helmet off the table (Commando, standard variant helmet, Assault/Commando variant chest plate and accessories, mix of Commando and standard MJOLNIR Mk 5 pauldron armor) before turning to Six, Seven, Eight and Nine. "Lieutenants," Noble 1 started. "Commander, sir," Seven responded. "I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader. That's Kat, Noble 2," gesturing towards the female Spartan, "Emile and Jorge, 4 and 5," pointing to the kukri Spartan and the tall Spartan-II, respectively. "You're riding with me, Noble Six and Seven. Eight and Nine, you're riding with Kat, Emile and Jorge," finished Carter. The Spartans walked out of the building, Carter talking with Six and Seven while they walked towards the Falcons. "Not going to lie to you, Six. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled. Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. As for you, Seven, Eight and Nine, its nice to have some new additions in terms of size. Just one thing. I've seen your files, even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. Glad to have your skill sets. But that lone-wolf stuff, Six, it stays behind. Clear?" "Yes, sir," responded Six. "And Seven, you and Nine have worked together before, correct?" Carter asked Seven. "Yes, sir," responded Seven. "Hopefully he's as good a pilot as they make him out to be. Oh, and this is Jun, Noble 3," stated Carter. As the Falcons lifted off the ground and flew off into the morning sun, Jun finished the conversation with a welcoming statement; "Welcome to Reach."


	2. Chapter 2: Contact Reach

**Hey guys. I'm really sorry for the several month long delay, but, truth is, I just haven't found the motivation or creativity to write. But, Chapter 2 is here now, and I hope you guys enjoy! Remember to leave a comment on your thoughts below!**

 _It's a clear, chilly summer morning in the mountains of Visegrád territory on Reach. The only sound breaking the silence of this beautiful scene was the sound of 2 UH-144 Falcons flying low along the mountains. Inside were the members of NOBLE team._

"Listen up, Noble Team. We're looking at a downed relay outpost, fifty klicks from Visegrád. We're going to introduce ourselves to whoever took it out, then Kat's going to get it back online." Carter announced to the rest of the team.

"Just get me under the hood, Commander." Kat added after looking at her tac-pad.

"Sir, why would rebels want to cut off Reach from the rest of the colonies?" Jorge questioned.

"You get a chance, maybe you can ask 'em, Jorge." Carter responded, seemingly unfazed by the question. The Falcons were now within sight of the outpost's satellite.

"Commander, we just lost our signal with HQ." Kat announced suddenly.

"Backup channels?" Carter asked Kat in a response.

"Searching….nada. Can't say what's jamming us."

"You heard her. Dead zone confirmed. Command will not be keeping us company this trip."

"I'm lonely already." Emile responded sarcastically. The two Falcons started in towards a landing area in a clearing. Eight finished brandishing her SRS-99 sniper rifle and put her helmet on. Eight had a nasty scar across his left eye. The eye itself was also black. Six took notice.

"Hey, Eight? Where'd you get that scar?" Six asked, puzzled.

"What, this thing? I got this one," gesturing to the scar on her left eye, "during the Battle of Jericho VII. An elite's wrist blade slashed me after it was killed by a Marine. He fell towards me and the blade caught me in the eye. Then I blacked out. Next thing I knew, I was on an EVAC shuttle ready for takeoff. Turns out, the rest of my family was in the shuttle right next to mine. Theirs's made it into a programmed flight path. Then, just like that, _pfft,_ two Banshees came and blew it out of the sky. They almost came after us. But we were too high in the atmosphere for their engines."

"Hey, I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean to-" Six started, but Eight interrupted him.

"It's ok, Six. I'm over it. Anyway, back to my eye. The wrist blade went right through the flesh, so the medic had to surgically remove it. Replaced it with this reinforced glass one. You like?" as Eight gestured to her eye.

"Yeah, it's…erm…great," Six responded to Eight's awkward question.

"Pilots. Shoot down attempts are likely, so keep your distance," Carter said as he broke the conversation between Six and Eight.

"Yes sir," each pilot responded.

"Let's stay focused. Watch your sectors," Carter told the team.

"There's the communication's outpost," Jorge announced bluntly.

"I'm reading a distress beacon," Kat told Carter.

"Could be the missing troopers. Let's check it out," Carter responded.

"Put us down on the bluff," Carter continued. "Jun, I want your eyes in the sky."

"Sir," Jun responded.

"Let's go, Noble," Carter told everyone. "Eight, I want you up on that rock formation," he ordered Eight, while pointing at a tall rock formation on the other side of a storage building.

"Roger that," Eight responded." Six, Seven, Eight and Nine all jumped out of the Falcons, with Eight immediately started towards a jagged stone wall to climb into position. As they started down the hill, Emile sped ahead and swiftly jumped onto a boulder overlooking the storage building's courtyard.

"Structure point 3-4. Looks clear from this angle," Emile reported as Carter, Kat, Six, Seven, and Nine advanced further down the hill.

"The distress beacon is coming from just south of here, Commander. We're close," Kat reported.

"Roger that. Eyes peeled," Carter responded.

The Spartans moved around the side of the building to find a wrecked Warthog (Standard LAAV Reconnaissance variant), crew nowhere to be found, and blood everywhere. Emile jumped down from the roof of the storage structure and went straight for the remains of some storage pallets. He rummaged through the chipped and shattered wood to find a flashing red distress beacon, barely operational.

"Found the beacon," Emile announced. He tossed it over his head to Kat, who caught it midair.

"Make out any ID?" Carter asked Kat, still investigating the beacon. She dropped the beacon after switching it off and started looking at the blood stains with Emile and Six. Seven and Nine were investigating the grass in the surrounding area as well as the gate of the main residence.

"Negative, but its military," Kat responded.

"So where are all the troopers?" Jorge asked suspiciously.

"Why are we not seeing explosives residue?" asked Kat, also suspiciously.

"Noble Three, can you confirm any 'ex residue in the area?" Carter asked Jun.

"Hmm…Negative, sir," Jun responded over the COM after a moment. His Falcon continued to circle the area.

"What about you, Seven?" Carter asked as he walked over to the wrecked Warthog.

"Nadda, sir," Seven responded with a sigh.

"Plasma, maybe," Emile suggested as an answer.

"Can't be. Not on Reach," responded Jorge in firm disbelief. And he was backed by the fact that there had been no Covenant fleet activity anywhere near Reach's star system.

"There's _a lot_ of blood on the ground," Emile said.

Six shifted uncomfortably. His experience with the Covenant had been…..bad. Very bad, for the lack of a better word. He had always wanted to get his revenge on those alien bastards, but deep inside, he feared them. Particularly the elites. One elite had ripped his family apart. Tore through them like they were nothing. He remembered the massive monster had taken his sister and- _No, not now_ , Six thought to himself. He banished the thought from his mind.

"Alright Noble, looks like there's nothing here. Let's move on," Carter ordered to the team. As Six started away from the wreckage, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of movement behind the fuel tank, however just for an instant. He didn't like it.

"Seven, you see that?" Six asked Seven.

"See what..?" Seven responded with confusion.

"Nothing, just thought I saw something. Must have been a trick of the light," Six responded uneasily. But Seven couldn't tell.

"Smoke at the next structure, boss." Kat stated, revealing that there might be an Insurgent camp inside.

"Circle west and check it out. You have permission to engage; but be selective. We don't want to telegraph our presence." Carter ordered. The group moved quickly and silently along the side of the house. Six, Eight and Nine were on point. "Six, Eight, Nine, move into the house. Go in quiet; I'm right behind you." Carter ordered the new NOBLE members. Six readied his MA5, Eight pulled out his dual M7 SMGs, and Nine primed his M45 Tac-Shotgun.

"Team ready?" Six asked his team, prepping for a modified breach. They would enter the building, scan the inside, and come out the other side.

"Set," responded Eight and Nine in unison, "ready on your go."

"Breaching." Six ordered. He silently swung his AR around the corner of the doorframe. The room looked to be the family room, with a couch, television, and fireplace. The back wall was a mess. A huge, scorched hole was where the doorway should have been, the ashes still hot. "Clear." he said after moving out through the hole in the wall. Carter, Kat, and Emile were close behind.

"Holy shit," Nine blurted, seeing the outside of the house once he was in the courtyard, "this place definitely had some remodeling."

 _He's right,_ Six thought to himself. The roof was on fire, and a section of the house had collapsed in on itself to the right of the family room.

"I'm starting to doubt this was rebel work." Seven said over the comm. "Rebels don't try to scare their target audience, especially by burning their house down.

Nine and Emile both reacted at the same time to another door opening. A middle-aged man rushed out, speaking Hungarian and talking fast. Emile snapped his shotgun up to point towards the farmer's face. "On your knees! Now!" Emile ordered the man, who quickly complied after backing up a step. The man started again with Hungarian.

"Ask 'em what they're doing here." Carter ordered Jorge, who started talking to the man in Hungarian. The two exchanged a few words, and Jorge looked at Carter with a look of seriousness on his battered face.

"Neighbors were attacked last night. He heard screams, gunfire, stopped around sunrise." Jorge announced to the group. Indeed, the surrounding property was utterly unusable, with still-burning fires every few meters. Craters pot marked the hillside, and bullet holes made intricate yet erratic patterns on the walls opposite the living area. The farm looked as though a warzone had occurred here, as if it were a battle of attrition. Yet, no bodies were apparent anywhere; just blood stains. Six didn't like it. It felt…..off.

The comm crackled to life; it was Jun, and he was slightly frantic. Quick, but calm. "Commander, heat sigs in the structure directly east of your position, over."

"Copy that. Get them back inside." Carter pointed to the civilians, and Jorge ushered them inside of the building, speaking in Hungarian as he went. The rest of the team started to move towards the shed up on the hill. "Noble team, double time it," Carter ordered, and Six, Eight and Nine broke into a sprint. Six practically phased through what was left of the door, only to find 5 bodies; two of which were UNSC. One Marine was slumped against the wall, the other hanging from a storage hook by his back. Blood was everywhere.

"Marines, looks like they were shot up pretty good. But….they aren't bullet holes…." Nine started. He was right. They were plasma burns, not bullets, and they were all over the armor.

"Damn," Carter reacted as he entered the room

"Fill me in, Commander. What are you seeing, over?" Jun asked hastily.

"Jun, we've got military casualties; two of the missing troopers. Look like they were interrogated…it's messy."

Thumping from above—probably the roof—cut through the silence and set everyone on edge. It was fast, on and off in just a few seconds. Six caught it on his motion tracker. He raced out the other side and into the courtyard of the next property. He just barely caught a glimpse of the source of the noise; short, thin, definitely avian. He couldn't tell just what it was, though. He still didn't like it.

"The hell was that?" Emile questioned, on alert.

"Jun, see anything?" Carter asked.

"Negative, sir. Thermal's clean," Jun responded.

"Seven, how about you?" Carter asked in reply.

"Nada, sir. I'm picking up nothing," Seven replied.

"Commander, I think I caught a glimpse," Six announced.

"Well, spit it out. What did you see?" Carter responded with interest.

"I appeared avian. It was skinny, and short. Plenty of muscle."

"I don't like it," Eight chipped in. "This whole thing just feels…..off, like something is watching us." Eight started scanning the courtyard, like something _was_ there. Eight's story hadn't been the happiest. He watched his entire family be slaughtered by an Elite. They had been traveling by tram to the spaceport on New Harmony when a stray Wraith round destroyed the track ahead, derailing the tram. A Zealot approached his family, energy sword hissing and crackling. Eight himself was trapped behind part of the tram wall and some seats, so the Elite couldn't see him. One by one, it cut through his parents and grandparents like they were paper. It impaled his two brothers as they tried to run away with Needler rounds, the pink spikes digging into their skin and detonating a few seconds after impact. When a squad of ODSTs found him, he was curled up in a ball on the ground by his dead family, blood pooling around him. Straight after leaving the planet, he signed up for the Beta generation of Spartan llls. He was pulled from the ranks just a few weeks before Operation: TORPEDO, in which the entirety of Beta Company was killed in a massive plasma explosion, with the exception of two Spartans, Lucy and Tom. Instead, Eight was placed into an elite team of other llls, Fireteam X-Ray, where he met Six on a mission to disrupt a Innie supply train near the remains of Eridanus ll.

"Alright, Noble, let's move on. See if we can find those troopers." Noble team started moving through the courtyard. Six started thinking back to that avian creature. He doubted it was a Moa, as much as he wanted to believe it was. Seven slid down from her perch on the rocks and joined the rest of Noble. As they moved into the main structure, everything grew quiet… _too_ quiet. Six was just about to turn a corner when his helmet radio crackled up again. It was Jun.

"Boss, I see movement. Outside your structure!"

"Noble 2, move up to the west. We're about to be flanked." Carter responded with fluidity.

Six moved to the window and saw what he had thought: a Covenant Skirmisher with a Needler. And it was calling for its allies.

"Huh?" Emile stated, confused.

"Damnit!" Carter exclaimed.

"Covenant!" Jorge exclaimed, taking cover behind a closet and revving up his chain gun.

"Contact! Contact! Spartans, assist!" Carter ordered.

"Here we go." Nine concluded, priming his shotgun.

A plasma launcher round burst through the window. Six barely had time to move out of the way. He dove behind an overturned crate and re-primed his MA37. He popped up from his makeshift cover and opened fire. He immediately targeted the Grunts directly below him near the hay bales. Cyan colored blood spurted from the wounds. He finished off the last one and moved towards the stairs.

"They're heading into the basement. Move down to the lower level." Carter ordered. Six and Eight moved down the stairs straight into a squad of Skirmishers. Eight dove right into the middle and started mowing them down with his M7s. Six picked up a pair of grenades from a fallen Marine and moved out into the rear courtyard.

Seven vaulted over the window and took cover behind a hay bale, pulling out her M392 DMR and opened fire. One round struck a Grunt in the temple. Another was sent through a Jackal's knee, and another through its chest. She sprinted up the ramp to her right and primed her sniper rifle. She took aim at an Elite Minor who was suppressing Six. _Crack._ The round struck the alien in the forehead. Its head whipped back and purple blood sprayed from the back of its skull. _One down; a million more to go,_ Seven thought to herself. She took aim at another Elite, but this one saw it coming. It dove behind a boulder and started suppressing Seven.

Nine saw the Officer that was pinning his teammate down. He primed his shotgun and leaped off the roof of the shed he was on. He pumped a slug into the split-jawed alien and pummeled it with the butt of his weapon. He almost didn't see the green Banshee bomb headed towards him. Almost. He dove out of the way a split-second before impact. The force of the explosion threw him across the dirt road and into a tree. He shook it off. He was tough. He wasn't going to be knocked down by this damn split-jaw. He slid his grenade launcher off his back and dropped an EMP into the breech. He closed the weapon and aimed in the Banshee's general direction. He fired…..and missed. He let go of the secondary trigger, and the grenade detonated, sending a short range EMP blast into the Banshee's systems. It fell straight out of the sky, hit the water dam, and bounced off the cliff. He heard a distant explosion.

Six slid into place behind a wall. He spotted a UNSC mounted gun. _Perfect,_ he though to himself. He sprinted over to the gun and depressed the trigger buttons. The chain gun roared to life, spewing bullets in every direction. He mowed down several Elites and countless Grunts and Jackals before the gun overheated, leaving him vulnerable. The enemy was quick to react. A fuel rod screamed towards him, blowing the mounted weapon to pieces just after Six dove out of the way. His shields were down. "Damnit!" he exclaimed. He slid behind the wall again and waited for his shields to recharge. As soon as his shields were up, he jumped out of cover and onto an unsuspecting Elite Minor. He drew his combat knife, and climbed onto the alien's back. He thrust his knife into the Minor's throat, wrenching the blade to the side for good measure. The split-jaw collapsed.

Eight was like a specter, moving from one hostile to the next with unparalled fluidity. His combatants couldn't lay a round on him. He was too quick. He dodged and weaved his way through all of them. One by one, they collapsed. In seconds, he had taken down 4 Elites. He pumped lead into a Minor, bringing its shields down and dazing it. He drew his knife—a long-bladed Tanto, light and easy to maneuver. He stuck another Elite—an Officer—in the gut, breaking through its shields. He stepped back and kicked the Officer over. He drew another knife—standard UNSC combat knife—and threw it into another Minor's throat. The alien choked and gurgled, drowning in its own blood. It collapsed. The last Elite—a Major, judging by the red harness—drew its energy sword and charged. For a split-second, Eight had a flashback: the Battle of New Harmony. He saw his dead family, and the Zealot. It lasted for less than a second. He shook it off. He charged towards the Major and spun around its side, climbing onto its back. He gripped the split-jaw's skull in his hands and wrenched it to the side, snapping its neck. It died instantly. He flipped over its head and rolled over to the first Minor, capping it in the head with a pistol round. He stood up, and tensed as he saw more Covenant advancing.

"Falcon moving to assist." one of the pilots stated. The bird swung around the side of a Spirit dropship and started drilling into the cockpit with its nose gun. The shields broke, and the alien craft started smoking. It gained altitude and retreated behind the nearby hillside. Noble advanced across the bridge and laying down suppressing fire as they went. Six and Eight took out the Covies on the dam and proceeded up the hill. They met up with the rest of Noble on the left side.

"Boss, I'm showing more hostile activity to the east." Jun reported, as his Falcon flew by overhead.

"Copy that, Jun. Six, you've got point." Carter ordered Six. He started across the creek towards a nearby animal pen. He spotted two Elite Ultras and an Officer, guiding a squadron of Grunts forward. Seven and Nine opened fire, attempting to suppress the alien leaders. The split-jaws returned fire, rapidly filling the air with plasma bolts. Seven sent a round through one Ultra's leg, knocking its shields out. Nine and Six moved through the pen and flanked the Officer. Nine pumped a slug into its shields, and Six put a round through its head. The alien collapsed. The other Ultra charged the two Spartans, spraying them with Plasma Rifle bolts. It plowed into Nine, throwing him against the wall. Six tackled the Elite, but was thrown off. Eight sprinted behind the Elite and started peppering its shields with bullets. The energy field was about to collapse. Seven's rifle twitched in the air as a round left the barrel. It went straight through the Ultra's skull, spraying purple fluid onto the rock wall. The last Elite was killed by Kat, who flanked it and capped it in the spine. Jorge and Emile had already killed off the Grunts.

"Alright, Noble, stand down. Contacts neutralized." Carter announced over the radio.

"Contacts? It's the damn Covenant." Jorge replied with anger towards his alien foes.

"Cheer up, big man. This whole valley just turned into a free-fire zone." Emile responded coolly, like he was excited to kill these alien bastards. Six and Nine couldn't agree more. They had both grown up in the same neighborhood, and were both away from home when the Covenant started bombing the cities and towns with plasma mortars. They even shared the same evacuation ship, though they never ran into one another before Beta Company.

"Kat, I need you at that relay outpost now." Carter announced. "Emile, go with Kat. We'll meet you at the outpost.'

"Copy that sir." Emile replied.

"I'm seeing more hostile activity to the northeast." Jun responded.

"Copy that." Carter replied. "Jorge, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, you're with me." The group started down the hill. Eight spotted two civilian Spade trucks, still in good condition.

"We've got transport." he stated.

"Alright, Spartans, mount up." Carter ordered. Six, Carter, and Jorge took one Spade, and Seven, Eight and Nine took the other. They started down the hill towards the rest of the farms in the sector

But something was troubling Six. He couldn't help feeling a sense of dread, like something was going to happen soon. Something bad. _I don't like this. I feel like….something is going to die. Someone,_ he thought to himself. He had a split-second vision: a devastated wasteland, dust and glass. A burning city. And…Noble team, dead. All of them. It lasted for about a second and a half. Then it was gone. He shook it off. _Probably nothing,_ he thought to himself.

 **Well, that is Chapter 2, finished! Again, I'm sorry for the wait, but with school back up again, I haven't been able to type as much. Plus, I didn't have much inspiration or motivation. But, alas, its finally here! Be sure to comment on your thoughts and follow for the next chapter! I promise this one won't take as long. Later, Spartans!**


	3. Chapter 3: Heavy Fire

**Hey guys! Sorry for another several month delay, but finals are this week and I've been having huge homework loads, alongside my sports. But Chapter 3 is finally here! Enjoy!**

Six sped down the hill with Carter in the passenger seat and Jorge on the bed, and Seven, Eight and Nine tailing close behind.

"Damn, Jorge. That gun sure does hold its own weight." Nine remarked as Six swerved around a corner in the road.

"Nah, it's just me. This things weighs little more than a Moa. And they aren't very heavy." Jorge replied nonchalantly. It was obvious he was bluffing, as Six could tell Jorge was barely holding onto his weapon as it scraped around on top of the Spade's roll cage.

"Hostiles spotted." Seven called out as the two Spades turned another corner. 3 Skirmishers were patrolling the dirt path along the creek.

"Running 'em down!" Six responded with eagerness. He floored the accelerator and practically glided into the avian aliens. The first was hit in the stomach and was carried along with the vehicle, plastered to the hood like a splattered bug on a windshield. Blood sprayed everywhere. The second Skirmisher was sucked underneath the truck and flattened by the tires. The third attempted to jump out of the way, only to be greeted by the grill of Seven's Spade. It was launched over the vehicle and landed with a splat behind, rolling into the creek. "Whoo! Nothing satisfies me more than splattered Covie parts!" Six remarked with satisfaction. He continued down the dirt path until the group came to a bridge.

The radio opened with the familiar crackle. "Noble leader, I'm seeing heat sigs in the structure ahead." Jun reported over the airwaves.

"Copy that. We're on it." Eight replied. Six and Seven slammed the brakes right before entering the property. Seven spotted a squad of Grunts as well as 3 Jackals, and Six eyeballed an Officer and 4 Ultras. Everyone piled out of the vehicles and engaged. Jorge provided suppressing fire while Carter made sure none of the Covenant troops escaped, capping 2 Grunts before engaging the Ultras. Six and Eight went straight the Officer, who had retreated inside the civilian structure. Seven and Nine went after the Ultras, with Nine busting the shielding and Seven putting a bullet into each one's head.

Six broke through a window and Eight entered through the backdoor, cornering the Officer in the upstairs area.

"Filthy demons. We will slaughter you all! Mankind shall be exterminated!" the Elite remarked before being shot in the temple by Eight. The event sent a chill down Six's spine, however. He had never heard an Elite speak English before. And this one seemed fluent.

"Ever seen something like that? A split-jaw speaking English?" Six asked with obvious discomfort.

"Nah, man. Gives me the creeps. Where'd he learn it? They don't take prisoners." Eight responded.

I don't know, and I don't like it, either." Six looked back at the purple-covered corpse. He had another scene appear in his head: a massive Covenant ship, obviously a Supercarrier, hovering over the obliterated remains of a UNSC frigate. The hull plate read "Grafton." A destroyed unidentified Covenant structure loomed in the background. Charred remains of Hogs and Scorpions littered the plateau below the supercarrier. It lasted longer than the last one; a few seconds, maybe 3? Six wasn't counting.

Eight's voice snapped him back into reality. "Hey. Six. Look at me." He snapped his fingers in front of Six's helmet. That brought him back.

"What? What?" Six responded, surprised.

"You alright? You kind of spaced out there," Eight responded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get moving," Six assured Eight. They walked back out to the Spades. As Six climbed back into the driver's seat, he thought back to that moment he saw. It felt…..familiar. Like it was going to present itself to him on a silver platter. Whatever it was, it made Six shiver. It made him feel like the day his home was bombed. _It just feels….off. Like it's going to happen. And what the hell was that, anyway? An Elite talking? And in English? The fuck is going on?_ Six thought to himself as he sped along the base of the mountain towards the net hotspot.

"Contact! 2 Spirits, dead-ahead!" Nine called out to his teammates, as Jorge opened up with his chain gun. They had just gotten a radio distress signal from a stranded squad of Marines; the missing troopers. They had been forced back into a farm complex along the ridgeline, and were under heavy siege by Covenant infantry. They had been dug in since last night, and were down to 5 members, as well as dwindling rations and ammunition.

Seven plowed through a line of Grunts, spraying their cyan-colored insides all over the hood and a few nearby trees. A plasma grenade flew through the air and landed on the bumper of Six's Spade.

"Bail out!" Six yelled, and Jorge, Carter and Six all dove away from the compromised vehicle. The sticky detonated, and Six's Spade flipped from the downward force of the detonation. The vehicle skidded a few feet, killing more Grunts along the way, hit a tree, exploded, and slid off the edge of the cliff into the basin below.

"Open fire! Give those troopers a hand!" Carter ordered, as Seven skidded to a halt in front of the advancing hostiles. Jorge spun up his weapon, and began suppressing nearby Covies. He mowed down a few Jackals and busted the shields of an Elite before the others could duck and cover. Another plasma grenade was lobbed by an Ultra, but Seven was prepared. She grabbed a piece of shredded bark, caught the plasma bomb with it, and threw it back towards the Ultra, sticking it to its leg and killing it when it detonated. A pair of Jackals returned fire, knocking out Nine's shields. Six dove in-between the two aliens as he drew his knife. He slashed the leg of one, crippling it, before stabbing the other in the throat, its deep-violet blood spilling onto Six's hand, and killing the first avian hostile with his M6.

"Commander! You've got two Banshees closing in!" Jun called out over the comm. The loud hum of the alien aircraft matched the gunfire, and the craft fired a fuel rod into the fray. The explosive projectile struck Seven's Spade, incinerating it, and throwing Seven and Eight against the wall of the residential structure. Both Spartans' shields were drained, and the pair were forced to take cover behind a boulder, while the rest of the team fell back inside the structure to meet with the Marines.

"Seven! Eight! Can you make it to us from your position, over?" Carter said over the radio.

"Negative. Those damn split-jaws have us pinned. We can't move." Eight responded heatedly over the comm. He popped up for a second and lobbed a frag grenade into the Grunts, killing several. Another Spirit was arriving, and the twin Banshees were still a problem.

"Damnit! We can't get to them with those Banshees there," Carter announced. "Troopers, do you have any heavy ordinance, like a rocket launcher?"

"Yeah, but we've only got one rocket," the leading Marine, a Captain, responded.

"That's all we need," Six reassured him, and took the launcher. "Commander, I've got an idea."

"Shoot, Six," Carter responded, while Jorge and Nine continued firing at the remaining Covies.

"I'll use the launcher to take out one of the Banshees. Jorge, Nine, keep that other one occupied. Commander, I'm asking you and the troopers to suppress the infantry. Once the Banshees are out of the way, Seven and Eight can make their way to us. Sound like a plan?" Six explained.

"Whatever works," Nine responded, reloading his M45.

"We'll keep them occupied," the Marines agreed.

"Alright, let's do it," Six acknowledged. Six primed his launcher and took aim at the Banshee closest to the structure. "I've got a lock! Jorge, Nine, open fire!" he ordered. Nine and Jorge opened fire upon the other Banshee, and Carter and the Marines began to lay waste to the Covenant forces from the safety of the gathering room.

Six unleashed the flying death tube known as a rocket, and the built in tracking system automatically found the Banshee's signature, blowing it into hundreds of flaming pieces. Nine and Jorge's combined fire managed to ward the remaining attack craft off, while Carter and the troopers mowed down any infantry in the open, blood flying everywhere.

"Seven, Eight! That's your que!" Six yelled to the Spartans under fire who were no longer under fire. They practically ran through the back wall at the speed they were moving, and Six closed the workshop door.

"Commander, the Spirit is pulling back. You've got one more dropship in your area, and you've got a few minutes to prepare. Be careful! I'm reading Hunter sigs inside," Jun voiced over the intercom.

"Copy that Jun. Get over here with that Falcon. We found the missing troopers. Kat and Emile at the relay?" Carter responded.

"Yes sir, but Kat is having some trouble with the doors. She's working on it," Jun answered.

"Copy that. Carter out," the Noble Commander responded. He started back in towards the kitchen, where the other team members were waiting.

"So, what's our new plan?" Nine asked, shoving shells into the breach of his shotgun.

"Jun said we've got a Phantom inbound with a pair of Hunters and a squad of Elites, with 2 squads of Grunts a numerous Jackals. It'll be a fight alright," Carter responded, pulling out a holographic schematic of the relay outpost and setting it on the table. "Kat is having some trouble with the blast doors at the outpost, but she is getting close. Once we're done here, we'll fly to the outpost with the Marines, clean up any local hostiles, and reactivate the relay. Got it?" he explained, looking at everyone in the room.

"Got it," Nine responded.

"Roger that," Eight called out.

"I'm down," Seven cracked.

"It'll be easy," Jorge remarked.

"We'll follow you, sir," the Captain, whose name patch read Locklear, responded.

"Six? You good?" Carter asked.

"Understood, sir," Six responded, picking up his MA5, which was leaning against the counter.

"Alright. Let's get it done, Spartans," Carter ordered, and the squad moved into defensive positions, ready for a fight.

 **So that was Chapter 3! Will Six's visions get worse, or will they alleviate? Will they come true? Are you surprised to see Locklear? As always, be sure to leave a review down below and tell me if you enjoyed it, as well as what I could improve upon. I am also going to be changing my (probable) upload schedule, which is now going to be every month or so, at least until school quiets down a tad. See you at the next upload!**

 **-Docson810**


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